Creative Support for Organizations-Round 2

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$27,750
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Minnesota State University-Mankato AKA Good Thunder Reading Series
Recipient Type
Public College/University
Status
Completed
Start Date
May 2023
End Date
June 2024
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Anoka
Blue Earth
Brown
Clay
Dakota
Hennepin
Nicollet
Olmsted
Scott
Sibley
Steele
Washington
Watonwan
Winona
Anoka
Blue Earth
Brown
Clay
Dakota
Hennepin
Nicollet
Olmsted
Scott
Sibley
Steele
Washington
Watonwan
Winona
Project Overview
Creative Support for Organizations-Round 2
Project Details

The Good Thunder Reading Series will bring seven acclaimed authors to southern Minnesota for public workshops, craft talks, and readings.

Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications

Uri Camarena: business consultant; Michael Charron: arts educator and an arts and civic leader; Richard Cohen: attorney in private practice and a former state legislator; Emily Galusha: arts and civic leader, former arts administrator; Anthony Gardner: vice president, marketing and communications at CentraCare; Ken Martin, political strategist and campaign manager; Philip McKenzie: team lead with Denver Air, adjunct college faculty; Nichole Melton-Mitchell: healthcare administrator; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Widdess: nonprofit consultant; former arts administrator; Christina Woods: executive director, Duluth Art Institute

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

Tom Barna: Barna is a playwright who has penned more than thirty-one full length plays and twenty-nine short plays, a coauthor for a thirteen-part radio series, and the author of four children's books (Cantata Publishing) and several eBooks (Rakuten Kobo Publishing). He has been commissioned for projects as varied as episodic radio and children's musicals and recently collaborated on a new full-length musical with Melody Bay Productions/Publisher, a Minneapolis company. He is the recipient of more than twenty-seven regional nonequity and/or festival productions and/or staged readings since 2009. Barna also has directed, produced, and performed on stage.; Nicole Brending: Brending is a filmmaker and artist with an MFA from Columbia University. Her films have screened at top tier festivals and won several prizes including the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival and Best Short at the Moscow International.; Rebecca David: David is the founder of JustBe Ceramics and the cofounder of the #CommunityTempo Project, where they integrate music and visual arts into the community. She actively volunteers for the Art Shoppe at the Midtown Global Market and Art to Change the World. She graduated magna cum laude from Waynesburg University (Waynesburg, PA), with dual degrees in business administration and fine arts. She was the ceramics studio manager and a rostered teaching artist for what is now known as Pittsburgh Media Arts. She has exhibited in multiple juried exhibitions and been a leader in nonprofits in southwest Pennsylvania.; Margo Gray: Gray is an experienced designer and theater maker whose work is focused on building empathy. They have twenty years of professional experience in forms from opera to new plays and now they specialize in immersive and interactive work. Gray was a Fulbright Fellow at the Moscow Art Theatre School, holds a BA from Grinnell College, and an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University.; Robyn Hennen: Hennen is the executive director of the Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota, where she supports the mission of cultivating a vibrant and inclusive community of young choral musicians. Hennen was previously the connections and engagement director for Westwood Church in Saint Cloud. She graduated from St. Cloud State University with a BA in political science and an MS in counseling.; Jenna Kubly: Kubly received her PhD in drama from Tufts University. Kubly served on the Tufts Library committee, Tufts graduate student awards committee, and the graduate committee for the American Society for Theater Research. She has convened/presented on numerous theater history research groups, and published reviews, encyclopedia articles, and original research. Kubly's theater production credits include Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Box Wine Theater, and the Phipps Center.; Daniel Peltzman: Peltzman is currently the director of annual giving for the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering. In the past, Peltzman has worked as an administrator, artist, and technician at the Fitzgerald Theater, The O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, and the Brave New Workshop Comedy Theater. Peltzman is a founding member of the Twin Cities Horror Festival and a founding board member of Four Humors Theater.; Stephani Pescitelli: Pescitelli recently graduated from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities with an MDiv in theology in the arts, during which she completed an arts fellowship, an internship in arts grantmaking through Monument Lab, and a body of artwork presented in a group show. In 2020, she also codirected an installation for the Art Shanty projects event. She has a decade of nonprofit and values driven small business administrative, communications, and project management experience and currently serves on the board for Omega, a co-op house project and community garden.

Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2021, First Special Session, chapter 1, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Education

2023 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$27,750
Other Funds Leveraged
$0
Direct expenses
$27,750
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

The Good Thunder Reading Series will connect residents of southern Minnesota with acclaimed writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The series director will track attendance and conduct surveys following each event to evaluate the success of the program's outreach measures, steps taken to ensure accessibility, and audience members' reaction to the art presented by the event.

Measurable Outcome(s)

The Good Thunder Reading Series successfully connected residents of southern Minnesota with acclaimed writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The series' director tracked attendance and conducted surveys following events to evaluate the success of the program's outreach measures, steps taken to ensure accessibility, and audience members' reactions to the literary opportunities.

Proposed Outcomes Achieved
Achieved proposed outcomes.
Recipient Board Members
Rachael Hanel, Michael Torres, Annie Lindenberg, Robin Becker
Project Manager
First Name
Robin
Last Name
Becker
Organization Name
Minnesota State University-Mankato AKA Good Thunder Reading Series
Street Address
128 Wigley Administration Center
City
Mankato
State
MN
Zip Code
56001
Phone
(507) 389-2259
Email
robin.becker@mnsu.edu
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency